The Lost Bet
by Jexy
Summary: Emma loses a bet to Hook and now she has to ask Regina out on a date. Set at the end of the S3 finale. Emma didn't bring RH's wife back. Will be a three shot story. Someone on a SQ board saw the gif set on tumblr and wanted a fic of it.
1. Chapter 1

Here's a quick little three chaptered fic requested by a fellow SQer from something she saw on Tumblr. Hope you all enjoy!

**A Lost Bet**

"So now that you've seen the real Regina what are you going to do when you see her again?" I tossed back a shot of rum as I thought it over.

"I don't know. And that's not the real Regina. That was the past Regina." Hook chuckled as I poured us both another shot."What?"

"It's just the look on your face when you saw the Evil Queen side of her. I thought your eyes were going to pop out of your skull. You gawk over her here, especially when she wears low cut blouses, but when she came out of that carriage your mouth dropped."

"Red and black really are her best colors though. You have to admit that." I smiled to myself. "She really has changed. I got to see it firsthand just how much. And she looked really sexy in the Evil Queen ensemble.

"You're drooling Swan." I shot him a glare. "Look, I'll make you a bet Savior, you're always boasting about how great you are at darts so how about you try and get a bull's eye with all ten darts? If you lose, you have to ask Regina out the second she walks through that door. If you win, I'll kiss Robin Hood." I snorted. Everyone in town knew I liked Regina and we all knew Robin had a secret man crush on Hook. This was a stupid bet but we were both slightly tipsy and it seemed good at the time.

"Deal." We went towards the dart board and Hook gave me the darts. As I toyed with them in my hands I thought about Regina. Normally I never would lose a bet on purpose but this time I'd make an exception.

"Ready Swan?" I glanced at Hook from the corner of my eye as I aimed the first dart. The dart hit dead center. Hook scoffed. "Bet you can't do that nine more times." He took another swig of rum and so did I. People started to watch as I continued to throw the darts. I was down to the last one. As much as I hated losing on purpose it was a good excuse to ask Regina on a date. I threw the dart and it hit the outer edge of the board. "Ohhh! It seems someone's lost the bet." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "So how ya gonna do it Swan?" He was drunk and slurring his words.

"I'm cutting you off now." I took the bottle from his hand and placed it behind the bar. As I turned back towards Hook the diner door opened. The second Regina walked in I was instantly sobered up. Anxiety raged through me. Glancing at Hook I took a deep breath. Oh God what did I get myself into?

I walked up to her quickly as she looked for a seat. "Hi." Regina looked me over quickly. "I…I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me?" She simply raised her brow. "Okay look, I just lost a stupid bet with Hook and now he won't let it go." Regina still said nothing. This wasn't going to end well I just knew it. "I mean, I know this is probably the last thing you want to do and I know you hate me, but…you hate him more right? Come on ple-"

"I'll go." Those two words eased most of my anxiety. Now I'd just have to figure out where the hell I'd take her. This was going to be my one chance to show how I felt about her.

"Really? Oh my God, thank you. I promise you won't regret it. I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow night."

"Sounds great." Regina gave me a soft smile.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mom why are you so nervous?" I jumped as Henry came into my room. He walked up and rummaged through my jewelry. "Wear this one not the swan one." I watched my son a moment before switching the necklaces. "If you want her to see you've moved on from my dad you can't keep wearing that. Especially when you're going on a date with her." I just watched in amazement.

"When did you go all team Emma/Regina? I thought you liked the idea of your mom with Robin Hood." Henry said nothing. He just went through my closet and pulled out another shirt. "Really kid? I can dress myself for a date with your mom."

"I know you can dress yourself, but I know what she's wearing and you need to dress up more." This kid had inside info and he wasn't going to tell me unless I needed it. God he was my blood for sure. "And it's called operation SwanQueen. I got to know Robin a little more but…eh I like you better."

"What is she wearing?" I walked into the connecting bathroom and changed shirts.

"The blue and black dress you like so much." I stopped buttoning for a moment and poked my head out the door. "Come on mom, you swoon every time you see her in a dress and she knows it. Actually, everyone knows it." As I finished the last button, I walked back into the room. I made sure to leave the first three undone to show just a peek of cleavage. I had caught Regina glancing at my boobs on occasion.

"I won't lie; I find most of what your mother wears nice looking. She's a very attractive woman and she knows it. She dresses in what will make her look amazing and the confidence she pours out is…"

"I get it. You like her; a lot." I shrugged. "So, where are you taking her for diner? I won't tell I promise." I rolled my eyes and continued to fix my hair. I knew she liked it with curls so I did that just for her. Since my hair was so long it was a pain in the ass to do.

"You know that really fancy Italian place in town? I called in a favor to get the rooftop table set and done with candles and the works. I told Regina she wouldn't regret saying yes and I meant it. This is my one shot to show her how much I care and to see if there's any future for us being together." Henry listened as I babbled on.

"I think she likes you too but won't admit it to herself yet. She's never been attracted to women soooo this is unchartered territory for her." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation with my son.

"It's unchartered for me too kid. I've never liked women until I saw Regina."

"Please tell me you're being cheesy and you have a dozen roses and a bottle of wine for her." My brow creased. "She won't admit it, but she's got a soft spot for cheesy stuff like that." I smiled triumphantly.

"Matter of fact, I do have a dozen roses and her favorite bottle of white wine." Henry and I continued to talk while I got ready. Soon it was time for me to leave. "Wish me luck kid."

"Good luck! Make us one happy family." I smiled at Henry once more before I left. Earlier that day, I cleaned every inch of the bug inside and out. It was no BMW but it didn't look all that bad. Excitement filled my stomach as I drove up Regina's driveway. Since my hands were full, I had to hit the doorbell with my nose. Thankfully I was able to stand up again before Regina opened the door.

"Hello Emma." Regina looked amazing. I already knew what she was wearing but it was still breathtaking.

"Hi." My voice was small. I had flashbacks from the first night we met. "These are for you." Regina took the roses and I followed her into the kitchen.

"Thank you. Roses and a bottle of my favorite wine?" I smiled nervously. A grin crossed Regina's lips and her brow rose as she saw what I wore. "You take me out on a date and you wear my shirt to said date." The blood drained from my face when I looked down at the shirt.

"I…I didn't even realize…." Regina chuckled as she cut the stems of the roses and placed them in a vase.

"Enjoying my shirt are we?" My cheeks started to warm up. I was going to kill Henry when I got home. He did this on purpose. "Calm down Emma. I'm not upset." She gave me a soft smile as she placed the bottle of wine in the fridge. "So, where are you taking me this evening?"

"That's a surprise. Shall we?" I motioned towards the door and Regina watched me as she walked by. As we headed towards my car, I jogged to the passenger's side to open the door for her. "You look really nice Regina." I could feel her eyes on me as I drove.

"Thank you Emma." God I felt like a teenager around their crush. This was pathetic Swan. You know this woman so stop acting like such a kid.

"We're here." I parked and opened Regina's door again. I held out my hand to help her out of the car. She looked from my hand to my face a second before taking it. "I have one request."

"What is it?" I bit my lip a moment and tried not to grin like an idiot.

"Close your eyes and trust me?" Regina studied me a few moments. "I want it to be a surprise. Please?" Finally she agreed. As we walked into the restaurant I gave the manager a nod. He smiled and gave me thumbs up.

"What have you got planned." I chuckled. "You're not going to answer me are you?"

"Nope. Now please, keep your eyes closed." She did as I asked and I led her to the roof. We stepped through the door to the roof and I stopped us. "Okay, open your eyes." Regina was shocked when she saw the table set for two, with a bottle of wine waiting. A waiter was standing there to greet us.

"Madame Mayor, Emma." He stepped to the side as I pulled out Regina's chair.

"Emma, you did all this…for me?" I took a seat across from her.

"I did. I wanted to make sure you didn't regret saying yes." I popped the cork on the wine and poured some for each of us.

"I'm Jack and I'll be your server for this evening. Breadsticks will be up momentarily. Can I get either of you something now?"

"No thank you." Regina and I watched as he descended the stairs. "Emma…" I held up my hand a moment.

"Regina, there's something you should know. When I was in the past fairytale land, I met the past you. This woman, this queen, who was…" Oh shit that did not come out right. "Uhm.."

"Evil." I didn't totally agree with Regina but I went with it.

"I've realized how much you've changed and I truly see it…see you." Regina's dark eyes locked on me. "You're a good person, Regina." She sat there a moment; not sure of what to say. Before she could say anything, the waiter came back with the bread.

"Have you thought about what you'd like to have this evening?" Quickly, we glanced through the menus and ordered. Jack left again and Regina remained quiet a few moments.

"That means a lot Emma."


	3. Chapter 3

_Since I'm leaving town until Monday, I wanted to give y'all the last chapter a day early. Enjoy the chapter!_

We continued to talk about everything really. "So, what's with you and that dirty pirate?" I choked on my wine and had to clear my throat before I spoke.

"What do you mean? There's nothing with us." Was Regina jealous of Hook? I got that vibe from her but then she goes and dates Robin.

"The two of you seem to be getting close. He watches Henry more and more. The two of you kissed in Neverland…" I knew she saw that! Damn it!

"I did kiss him. It was a mistake though." There was a slight twitch at the corner of Regina's mouth as she took a sip of wine. "There's nothing between us. Yes he watches Henry because he knew Neal and Henry seems to like him."

"He yearns for you." So she does keep tabs on him.

"And Robin yearns for you. The only difference is, the two of you are seeing one another. Hook and I aren't." A slight irritation fell over Regina. I instantly wanted to retract my words but knew I couldn't.

"He loves me…" Her voice trailed off.

"Do you love him?" Regina just gave an 'mmhmm.' She never actually said it. "Why do you think he's your true love?" Regina's eyes flashed towards mine. "I overheard you and Tinkerbell talking about it in Neverland. Your true love has a lion tattoo." I fell quiet a moment. "He's not the only one with a lion tattoo in town you know."

Now it was Regina's turn to choke slightly. "What are you talking about?" I said nothing; just stood and walked around the table. I lifted my shirt and moved my jeans out of the way. When Regina's eyes fell upon my hip they grew. She saw the lion tattoo I've had since I was twenty three. "You…have…one too?" Regina looked up at me as I continued to hold the clothing away. I jumped slightly when Regina ran her fingers over the inked tissue.

"I've had it since I was twenty three. I've always been able to sketch well. One night I woke up and couldn't get this picture out of my head. I got up, sketched it, and couldn't shake the urge to get it tattooed on me. So the next day, I went and had it done." Regina's eyes continued to linger on my hip. "You already know how I feel about you." Regina's eyes locked onto mine. "You're the mother of my child. You've taken care of him when I wasn't. And I owe you dearly for that." I knelt down and took one of Regina's hands in mine. "Regina, I've cared deeply about you for years now. Even in that year when you gave Henry and me new memories I kept dreaming about this beautiful brunette with gorgeous brown eyes." I swallowed; in a penny in a pound. "When I drank the memory potion, images of you and me and of you, me, and Henry flashed through my mind. I came back to Storybrooke because of you."

"How exactly do you feel about me Emma?" She knew exactly what I meant. I'm guessing she just wants to hear me say it since she's been scorned so many times before.

"Regina, I love you." I placed gentle, feather-like kisses on the knuckles of her hand. "If given the chance, I would like to make you happy. You deserve happiness Regina. Whether you believe it or not." I heard footsteps coming up the staircase and waved my hand; locking the door. Regina chuckled.

"You have been working on your magic I see." Regina smiled at me softly. "You began as a thorn in my side yet now you've changed into something else. I wasn't capable of caring for anyone but myself for a very long time and then Henry came along. I may have taken care of him but you gave birth to him. If it wasn't for you, I would never have been able to adopt Henry."

"We can be a family Regina; you, me, and Henry. That's what he secretly wants. He, like I, just want you happy." Regina listened. Something was changing in her eyes. They weren't as guarded as they were earlier. "And that's what I've wanted for quite awhile now. I didn't realize I was falling for you until I saw Robin start to flirt with you. I knew my feelings had changed but I wasn't sure how until he came around." The word vomit was getting worse by the second.

"To be bluntly honest," Regina paused. "I never truly liked Robin. I was settling because of what Tinkerbell and the fairy dust told me all those years ago. I mean, at one time, Robin could've been my true love but that was before Henry and you came into my life. I believe I've known that your feelings towards me have changed. When you first came to Storybrooke you said you didn't care what happened to me. Then two years later, we're working together and you tell me to be careful and call you if I needed anything." I bowed my head and smiled a moment.

"So you have noticed that." A nervous chuckle escaped my throat and I looked away.

"I have." Regina placed a finger under my chin and tilted my head upwards. "I think I've come to care for you." My heart sped.

"Really?" Regina smiled softly. She pulled on the collar of my, well technically her, shirt and pulled me toward her. I stiffened when she closed the gap between us and placed a single kiss on my lips. "Regina…"

"We'll figure this whole family thing out soon. For now, let's enjoy this lovely date."


End file.
